Rising Healthcare Costs and Outsourcing | healthcare

The cost of healthcare in the US has been steadily increasing in the past few years, and according to some projections by consultancy firms, the trend will continue. This has lead to increasing acceptance of outsourcing by different hospitals and healthcare providers across the country. Information technology, medical transcription, medical billing, and medical coding outsourcing have been increasing in response to the need to reduce cost.Healthcare Costs On the RiseOn the 15th of September, New York based consultancy firm, Towers Watson (NYSE:TW), projected an 8.2% increase in employer health care costs for 2011. According to Ron Fontanetta, senior health care consultant with Towers Watson, “Employees today are adjusting to historically lower-than-average merit pay increases, while at the same time facing higher health care contributions, copays and deductibles. This combination could adversely affect many employees and intensify the growing affordability crisis.”Meanwhile, Chicago based company, Hewitt Associates (NYSE:HEW), estimates that it may be as much as 9%. In Chicago, the projection is as high as 12.4%. The figure is the highest it’s been in five years.In a statement by Hewitt’s health care practice leader Ken Sperling said, “Employers continue to struggle to balance the significant health care needs of an aging workforce with the economic realities of a difficult business environment.”The report attributes the increase to an aging workforce, coupled with increasing costs of technology as well as the health care reform act.Cost And OutsourcingThere’s certainly no doubt that the cost of healthcare is increasing and in response, healthcare providers and hospitals are struggling to maximize revenue while minimizing expenses in order to reduce the cost on consumers.One example is Hendrick Medical Center, who, on the 7th of September, signed a managed service and recruitment process outsourcing contract with AMN Healthcare Services (NYSE:AHS). Ralph Henderson, AMN President for the Nursing and Allied divisions, said that the contract would result in, “lower bill rates and operational costs, reduced liability and mitigated insurance risks, and increased compliance with clinical standards.”Outsourcers in the meantime are expanding into the healthcare space in order to take advantage of the opportunity.As MaryAnne Pace, co-founder of company, Health BluePrints stated, “Healthcare providers are looking for solutions to increase net cash, achieve revenue cycle performance improvement, enhance operational efficiency, and improve overall patient and physician satisfaction.” The company was recently acquired by NCO Group, who along with the acquisition also released a new end-to-end Healthcare Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) solution on the 13th of September.Another company moving into the healthcare space is Tricom India (NSE:TRICOM), who is currently acquiring US healthcare service provider GTESS Corporation. The news announced on the 14th of September came after Tricom India announced that it recently secured a five-year contract from a US-based healthcare firm for $10 million. Meanwhile, Conifer Health Solutions also announced an acquisition on the 28th of September. The company is acquiring MediHealth Outsourcing in order to strengthen its position in the healthcare outsourcing space.Healthcare NumbersAs the trend of rising healthcare continues, healthcare providers and hospitals are looking to reduce costs, and at this point one of the solutions they are turning to is outsourcing – an opportunity that outsourcers are gearing to take advantage of. Healthcare, just like any other business, has to worry about the numbers.

Fashion – Back to the Future | Fashion

What style are you most comfortable wearing? Do you know where the fashion you feel most comfortable wearing came from? The world of fashion and design is truly compelling with the intrigue and excitement it provides people like you who are among those who enjoy displaying different trends in fashion. The fads that are all in the present all came from the past designs that started way back the 19th century. Knowing this will give you the idea on the real personality that you have been dreaming to display in your fashion as well as the ones who made a mark in the mod world that most men and women are getting.From long ago, even if men are also integrated with the same fashion sense provided by the many designers; women are more of the target in the fashion designing. In the earliest years of mod designing, the name that started it all goes back to Charles Frederick Worth (1826-1895). His success started the vintage fashion even before the maison couture in Paris started. Worth was more than just a tailor; he was the very first man who had ever dictated what his customers must wear! Could you just imagine how great an achievement it was to be the dictator of fashion at that time?You can trace back up to this time the trend of drawing fashion on a paper among designers to picture the right fall of fabric on their design as well as the form and pattern the design is meant to have, who would have guessed that this practice goes a long way back? Many fashion houses hired the services of painters and artists to make the design presentation for customers to view than actually having to make a completed form, which evolved to the publications of the magazines.The fashion world turned to French fashion in the early 1900, This was the time of the hour glass shape for women that started in the vintage fashion they displayed; the corset that some women are still wearing up to the present became very famous to show the S-bend silhouette. You can just imagine how women have been so vain in their waistline already. The flimsy lines came after the 1908, gone are the bulky petty coats underneath the garments. The pleating and dyeing process came to be reflected in the clothing until the World War I where women were dressing for comfort and not for fashion, women learned to work and became practical at these times.Skirts were introduced in 1915 in the ankle length until it became shorter up to the mid-calf. The vintage fashion started having the short skirts together with the introduction of the automobiles. Many changes happened, carriages to cars; long-train gowns to pinafores above the knees; skirts to short bobs until women even started borrowing their clothing from men’s fashion. The A-line skirts did not take so long to be patronized since many fashion designs were introduced really fast in the market. Some of the hairstyle and fashion of that time changed with the time and some very famous designers of the present time came from this era of vintage clothing designing like Jean Patou and Coco Chanel as well as many others.The sudden change in the women’s fashion again came in the 40s, many vintage fashion houses closed. After the war, new fashion came with a complete new look, the designers from the early years like Chanel disliked the new look, it was the end of women following the Paris fashion.The 60s was slowly introducing the retro fashion; simplicity has reached the extreme almost deleting the glamorous style of fashion from the 1900s until the radical expression of clothing matched with music and lifestyle; glam rock and punk are among the examples.What you wear now are still reflections of the past fashion worlds that came. The inspiration in the art of fashion is found in the retro fashion of the 60s to the 80s. The scarves, the pant cuts and even the skirts are all from different patches of the fashion world’s past. Look back and there will always be a fashion you can emulate in your personal style. It really is a fashion world out there!

The High Cost of Not Having an Online Marketing Strategy | Online marketing

B2B and industrial companies are slow to embrace online marketing. It’s a curious reluctance given that online marketing is performance-driven, pays for itself, and consistently delivers new, qualified business that can mean dramatic increases in sales and growth.So, why are some companies sometimes reticent about using online marketing when the benefits in terms of exposure and revenue are so substantial? We thought we’d seek out those with the answers.Direct From the SourceWe talked to CEOs and Marketing Managers of companies that have embraced online marketing. These industry leaders are quick to confirm that Internet marketing more than pays for itself. In addition, in a short period of time online marketing has become a critical, indispensable channel for generating customer awareness and sales directly enhancing the bottom line.The message from industry insiders clear: The risk involved with online marketing is small. The rewards are infinite.We asked a number of your B2B colleagues what it would have cost them to delay embracing the power of online marketing. This is what they had to say.Lost BusinessExperts agree that online search has become the primary source of information for those making B2B buying decisions. Most business consumers first turn to a search engine during the investigation phase of their buying process, and just about all of them will use the Internet at some point during the decision-making process. That’s right. Nearly all of them.That’s a staggering fact, and those who have taken advantage of online marketing know this trend is some of the best news in decades for companies willing to exploit the new ways businesses do business.The reliance on search in the buying process means your company has never had a better opportunity to reach and capture new business. But it also means that every day you wait means business lost to your competitors.Online Marketing Pays for ItselfIndustry pros understand the bottom line and the need for measurable returns on any investment, especially when it comes to spends for advertising and marketing. They also understand that online marketing is one of the few methods guaranteed to pay for itself.Online marketing, specifically paid placement and search engine optimization, have a proven track record in giving companies the highest returns of any vehicle in their marketing mix.In addition, online marketing is a low-risk proposition because it’s based on performance. You pay only if a potential customer clicks on your ad. Utilizing that system, the cost of acquiring a customer is dramatically reduced.Those in the know insist online marketing generates 20-50% of the qualified sales leads in industries that have traditionally relied on sales prospecting, word-of-mouth and trade shows.The numbers don’t lie. What is your company waiting for?CompetitionEveryone wants a competitive advantage, but even tried and tested methods can’t keep pace with the monumental strides being made with online marketing.With online marketing, you can fend off your competitors and dominate niche markets. The Internet creates a level playing field where businesses of all sizes can compete. Anyone can stake a position as a leader. What would it be worth to your company to be in that position?And here’s another insight we heard from B2B pros. One of the unique benefits of the Internet is that is affords smaller businesses the chance to appear bigger than they are. Online, a three-person operation can look slicker than an international conglomerate. You can turn this to your advantage with a minimal investment of time and money. Indextree can show you the way.So, why is it important to dive into the world of online marketing now? The hard fact we hear from B2Bs is that once a company entrenches itself in a certain arena online, it’s hard to dislodge it. At the moment, in most industries, search rankings and market dominance aren’t set yet. They will be, and it will cost you more down the road to accomplish what you can accomplish now with far fewer resources.As in most areas of business, in the realm of online marketing, it pays to act decisively..Online Buyers are Ready to BuyThose who have reaped the rewards of online marketing will attest to the fact that customers who research and compare products and services online are much more predisposed to buying. It’s just the nature of the medium. Much of your job of selling is done by the time someone reaches your Web site.In the world of online marketing, your customer is already looking for your product. They’re actively looking to do business with someone. That someone should be you.New competitorsIt’s not something you like to think about, but they’re out there, and they’re after your business. New players are entering your market every day, and they’re capturing your market share.The tools we’re talking about are a double-edged sword. If you don’t capitalize on the benefits of online marketing, do you think your competitors will hesitate to do so? Aggressive, upstart companies are pulling out all the stops, exploiting economies of scale and using online marketing to extend their reach.Don’t just wait and watch while these companies erode the fiscal health of your company. Can you really afford to have these competitors encroach on what you’ve fought so hard to build? It’s time to reclaim what’s yours, and online marketing is the answer.CommoditizationTrust us, we don’t just throw around big words because it makes us feel smart. The Internet has given customers an unprecedented ability to shop and compare, often reducing the buying decision to price alone. But this “commoditization” of products doesn’t do your company justice, and your bottom line may already be suffering because of it.What’s the answer to the problem of commoditization? How do you distinguish yourself? How do you communicate your differentiating qualities to potential customers?Online marketing provides an excellent vehicle for branding and also allows you to capture potential customers earlier in the buying process.Quality business interactions are more than just a price point. Be heard. Stand out. Reap the windfall.Build Buyer Awareness and Drive Traffic Here’s the ugly truth. Many manufacturers and distributors don’t do a great job with their Web sites. We hear this time and time again not only from the CEOs and Marketing Managers, but also from consumers.Site visitors are often frustrated by poor online marketing practices. In fact, studies show two-thirds of B2B site visitors complain they don’t find what they are looking for, and almost half never return to the site as a result. Now, we’re not saying yours is one of those sites. But are you sure you’re turning Web site traffic into sales consistently? What impression are you giving potential customers when they visit your site? Are your customers telling other potential customers how professional and easy-to-use your site is?Online marketing has a lot more to do than simply having a visually appealing Web site. It’s more than simply buying keywords and hoping they’ll bring you more business. Buying unqualified leads from unknown sources is often like putting your money into a kiln.Effective online marketing requires knowledge, strategy, implementation, monitoring, and follow-through. Those are the skills and qualities we pride ourselves on at Indextree.The High Cost of Waiting on the SidelinesAs you read this, there’s a good chance your competitors are working on their online marketing strategies. It’s even possible they’re making inroads into capturing key customer segments you may never be able to recapture.Is business good right now? Sure. Is it great? Could be better. With an effective online marketing strategy, it could be great.So, what’s it costing you to wait?Take it from those who have seen the benefits of online marketing firsthand. Standing on the sidelines has never been so costly.